347P
Physical Activity As a Determinant of Youth Physical, Mental, and Overall Well-Being
Physical activity can promote youth well-being, but the underlying mechanisms behind this relationship remain uncertain. In particular, important questions remain regarding activity’s association with mental and social well-being. Using an ecological framework and structural equation modeling, it was hypothesized that youth who participate in activity exhibit increased physical health, mental health, social acceptance, and overall life well-being. This research builds on existing inquiries that show promise for physical activity as a determinant for youth well-being and a potential key factor in school-based intervention strategies.
Methods
Sample: Data were collected from 2001-2010 over 3 waves of the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) survey. In total, the data set comprised 36,686 students in the 5th to 10thgrades from 881 schools. Between 51.0% and 58.8% of respondents were White, 20.0-28.7% were of Hispanic ethnicity, and 20.3-21.9% were African American across the 3 waves.
Measures:“Physical Activity” was a single observed item assessing number of days of 60+ minutes of activity per week. “Physical Well-Being” was measured with four items assessing frequency of headaches, stomachaches, backaches, and dizziness. “Mental Well-Being” featured four items assessing frequency of depression, irritability, anxiety, and insomnia. “School Acceptance” included three items assessing students’ acceptance by their school peers. The outcome latent variable “Overall Well-Being” included four items assessing life satisfaction, overall health, and school success. All 4 latent variables featured 4- and 5-point Likert responses. All 3 models featured identical items and paths across the 3 waves.
Analysis:Mplus 7.11 was used to test the 3 models using Weighted Least Square (WLSMV) with a polychoric correlation matrix of the ordinal observed variables and a correction for the clustering of children in schools. Full information maximum likelihood allowed for the inclusion of missing values. The models’ invariance was tested across age, race, and gender.
Results
The final models had good fit across all 3 waves of data: χ2 (81, N = 9084 to 14,242) = 796.8 to 1562.3; RMSEA = .031 to .036 (CI .029 to .037); CFI = .972 to .980; TLI = .964 to .974. All but one of 42 hypothesized paths across the 3 models were statistically significant. Physical activity had direct (standardized γ = .121 to .147) positive associations with the students’ overall well-being. Indirect paths from physical activity through physical and mental well-being, and school acceptance, were all significant. The total standardized effects of activity on overall well-being were .195-.264. The models explained 48.3% to 53.6% of the variation in overall well-being.
Conclusions
Physical activity may have direct and indirect associations with youth well-being. This study suggests that the potential exists for youth activity programs to promote positive outcomes among diverse populations of youth. This is especially important given the disparities in activity levels found in subpopulations of youth. Social work stakeholders can look to these interventions as a means to promote a variety of positive outcomes for diverse populations of youth.